What Lies Ahead
by thedrunkgiraffe
Summary: When Dean watches a strange video he's sent somewhere where he's married to Cas and they have a child? When he realizes someone has set this up, he's forced to complete three tasks to prove his love for Cas. (Set after Hunteri Heroici, when Cas decides he wants to be a hunter) (Sorry for the crappy description haha)
1. The Video Vixen

"You know, can't say I'm surprised this place is haunted. Some real freaky shit must have gone down in here." Dean stepped to avoid moose antlers lying on the ground adorned with what he could only imagine to be animal carcasses. He turned to stop just short of a furry head hanging from the ceiling. "Not cool." He breathed, his eyes wide.

"Dean, it was a store that belonged to a witch. What did you expect?" Sam waved the EMF meter around the front of the store, carefully avoiding touching any of the weird trinkets scattered everywhere. "You think Cas is having any luck?" He frowned down at the silent EMF meter.

The three were investigating an abandoned store after hearing of four separate disappearances in its proximity. It had been two months since Cas decided he wanted to be a hunter. Despite Sam and Dean's initial apprehension, the three melded well and were on a roll. Several demons killed, ghosts put to rest, and vampires defeated later they had created a perfect system. Sam and Dean had never been so efficient, which was not surprising now that Cas was on their team.

_Smash! _Dean and Sam's heads snapped toward the noise.

"Cas?" Dean's voice was full of worry.

With the sound of a flutter Cas was standing next to Dean. "I found out the deceased's name. We should be able to find their grave and burn the bones." Cas looked down, "I also might have accidentally knocked over a vase."

"Aw geez, Cas." Dean chuckled. "Are you sure there's no other possible spirit that could be causing the disappearances? We don't want a repeat of Naples."

"Yes, I'm quite sure." Cas reassured Dean, even though he knew Dean was going to want to investigate himself.

"I'm just gunna go check in the back real quick." Dean swiftly made his way to the back.

"I don't understand. Why does he let me investigate if he's just going to look himself?" Cas said. Sam awkwardly shifted on his feet in response.

Dean found a pile of papers on a desk in the back. _Jennifer Metz. _

"Son of a bitch." There were papers that outlined a strange ritual involving killing Jennifer Metz. Next to the outline was a news article about her disappearance. Dean scanned his eyes over the rest of the desk. The surface was covered in dead flower petals, peculiar powder, and small, bizarre vials lacking labels. The only normal thing was a VHS sitting next to the cash register. Dean picked it up and looked at it. _Busty Asian Beauties. _Dean looked around him and slyly slid the VHS into his jacket.

"Alright. All clear. Let's head back to the motel." And with that the three were back in the Impala on their way to the motel.

The next morning Dean woke up to Cas watching TV. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "Sammy, up and at 'em." When he heard no response he turned to the other bed. It was empty.

"He said he was going to go for a jog and then to get groceries." Cas said, his eyes never leaving the TV. "I was going to go burn the bones. I was just waiting for you to wake up." Cas stood up, turned the TV off, and finally faced Dean.

"Um, okay." Cas didn't wait for Dean to say anything else; he vanished.

"Well, since I'm alone, might as well check out that video." He smirked getting up to insert the video into the cheap motel VHS player.

He pressed the play button and sat back onto his bed. Nothing but a blue screen showed up. Then Dean felt an intense pain in his stomach. Like something was squeezing his insides. He hunched over and winced in pain. His stomach unknotted and he opened his eyes. All he saw was an empty road in front of him. He felt the Impala steering wheel beneath his fingers and heard the roar of the engine as his foot involuntarily accelerated the car.

"What the hell?" He panicked and his foot flew off of the gas and onto the brakes. The car jolted to a stop.

"Dean! We talked about your language." Dean heard a familiar voice. He turned to see Cas sitting in the passenger seat.

"Daddy, that was scary." His eyes lowered and he found a little girl staring up at him. She looked to be about three years old. She had golden ringlets that went down to her waist. The familiar hair color unnerved Dean. Her eyes are what caught him off guard, though. They were a shocking teal color with sprinkles of intense blue, like Cas blue.

Dean blinked at the girl in confusion.

"Sophia, you know Daddy would never want to scare you." Cas pulled the girl into a gentle embrace.

_What the fuck is going on? _Dean looked in the back seat of the Impala to find the girl's father. It was vacant, except for a lone car seat.

"Dean, is there a reason you stopped in the middle of the road?" Cas looked at Dean with questioning eyes.

"I, uh…" He trailed off, not exactly sure how to answer. Why was he here? Was this a dream? He just wanted to be back in the motel. Dean studied Cas's face while he tried to think of an answer. There was something slightly different about him, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Cas, I was just in the motel room and somehow ended up here." He decided to take the blunt approach. Surely Cas would help him figure out what was going on.

"Motel room? We haven't stayed in one of those for years." Cas laughed.

"What are you talking about we just slept in one last night?" Dean was beyond confused.

"Dean, are you okay?" Cas squinted his eyes at Dean. "Maybe I should drive." Dean laughed. _Cas driving?_

"What's so funny?"

"You don't drive Cas."

"Sure I do. You must remember. The night you taught me, you told me you loved me." _Loved him? In a "you're my best friend way, right?"_

"I don't know what's going on Cas. One minute I'm watching…" His faced tinged pink. "A video. And the next I'm sitting in here, driving."

"That doesn't make any sense. We've been driving for over two hours." Cas turned his head to look out the window, his faced turned pensive looking. "What year is it, Dean?"

"2013."

"Dean, its 2017."

_A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! I'm home for the weekend, so I got a chance to just start this. Thank you for reading! Reviews would be helpful :) And I will give each and everyone of you a cookie baked by the one and only Dean Winchester. ;) Depending on what you guys think this may be long or short haha I may update in a couple days since I already have chapter 2 written haha Well, have a lovely day!_


	2. The Domestic Daze

_A/N: I was like uber busy with school all week, so it took me a while to update this, but to be honest it will probably be updated once a week from now on. Maybe Saturdays? Haha I have no intended length for this so if people like it it will be longer, if not it will probably be short haha Anyways, this chapter is like twice as long as the other, but hope you all enjoy it! Enough ranting from me! haha :)_

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. I marry you and we have a daughter?" Dean, now in the passenger's seat, furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the little girl smiling up at him. For the past hour Cas, now in the driver's seat, was trying to explain to Dean all the things that had happened in the past four years.

"Basically, yes."

Dean convinced himself it was just a dream. Soon, he would wake up and Sammy would be in the bed next to him. They would get ready and go hunt down another demon or something. There was no possible way he could have married Cas and have a child with him. He had science as concrete evidence.

"So, she's like _our_ daughter? Like same genes and everything?"

"Well, yes. Despite your knowledge of anatomy, it is possible for me to have a child." Cas looked down and grinned at the girl. "She's the perfect combination of you and me."

The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile, revealing the similar dimples that belonged to Dean. She sat perfectly between him and Dean in the front seat of the Impala. She seemed content just sitting there while either of her fathers drove, like she was used to it.

Dean seemed perplexed, but came to accept the idea. It was just a dream, anyways.

The little girl was gorgeous. And even though Dean always imagined a little boy to rough and tumble with, he could see hoisting this beautiful little girl on his hip while he cooked burgers on the grill. And Cas and Sam laughing at Sam's dog jumping out of their pool and shaking water off all over Bobby. And then Bobby scolding the dog with an "Idjit."

Dean shook his head to get the image out of his mind. That wouldn't happen. He would wake up and be back in his miserable state worrying about monsters and not if the meat was cooked well enough.

"Well, we're finally home." Cas pulled into the driveway of a medium sized beige house. Dean didn't get a chance to study the outside of the house, because the garage door opened and Cas parked the car. Dean got out and followed Cas and the little girl into the house.

"Hey! How'd the hunt go?" The three were greeted by Sam sitting on a long brown couch in the living room. He leaned forward and reached for the remote to turn the gigantic TV off. Dean's eyes widened at the size of the TV.

The little girl ran over to Sam and jumped onto his lap. He took off her shoes and set them next to the ottoman. It was like a routine for them, Dean noticed.

"It went well. Sophia found them in the building and Dean went in to gank them all."

"You found them? Alright!" Sam grabbed Sophia and threw her up in the air to catch her.

"Wait, we still hunt?" Dean's eyebrows sat in a straight line. He was thoroughly confused. Surely, if they had started a family, they wouldn't still hunt.

Sam was too preoccupied with playing with Sophia to hear.

"Yeah." Cas pulled off his shoes and threw them in the closet behind him, he gestured for Dean to do the same.

"And you bring her with you?" He said a bit sternly, astounded that they would bring a three year old to such dangerous places.

Cas sighed, and made his way to the kitchen. Dean followed close behind. "She's not like normal three year olds, Dean." He opened the fridge and grabbed a few ingredients. "She's _our_ three year old." He eyed Dean, suggestively.

Dean continued looking with an awestruck face, clearly not understanding what Cas was saying. "She has powers. She can pinpoint the location of any supernatural being. She also has a shield that prevents any supernatural being from coming near her. Also, she has us. We don't let anything get close enough so that she has to use her shield. She's perfectly safe." He turned on the stove and grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards.

Dean couldn't imagine letting his child into the business. That was something he was sure of. If he ever had any children, no way would they be involved with hunting. So, why did his future self let this happen? Or rather why did his subconscious self allow it?

"So, obviously our next step is to get you back to your time and to get my Dean back." Cas started mixing. He made cooking look effortless. And he seemed to be perfectly calm with this confusing situation.

"Yeah." Dean looked down. When was he going to wake up?

"But first we have to feed the family."

A few minutes later Dean found himself sitting at one end of a large table with Cas at the other end. The table had a casserole and hot dogs and condiments splayed across it. A strange combination. Sophia sat next to Sam on Cas's end of the table. Bobby walked in and sat on the other side of the table from Sam. Dean heard the door open and another guest walked in; Jody walked into the dining room and took the seat next to Bobby. "Hey, sweetie." She placed a kiss on Bobby's cheek. He smiled in response.

"Okay, everyone's here. Go ahead and dig in." Cas grabbed a hot dog and a bun to put on Sophia's plate. Soon, hands and plates were flying everywhere to get food.

Dean scooped up some of the casserole and plopped it onto his plate. He took a bite. He could taste sweet potatoes and brown sugar. It was a forkful of sweet deliciousness.

"This is heavenly." Dean hadn't intentionally said that out loud. He moaned as the food slid down his throat. He looked up and his eyes met a smiling Cas. Everyone else had ignored his comment, trying to cram down as much food as they could.

When dinner was over, Cas told Dean to go watch some TV as he gave Sophia a bath. They weren't quite ready to tell everyone that Dean wasn't actually their Dean. So, when Jody and Bobby had gone out for a walk, Dean sat silently watching TV with Sam and waited for Cas.

"Time to say goodnight, Daddy!" Dean turned around to see Sophia, now dressed in pajamas, holding Cas's hand. Dean looked up at Cas, who gave him a reassuring smile. So, Dean got up and walked towards them.

"Goodnight, Sophie!" Sam shouted up the stairs.

Dean followed the two to a small pink room. There was a child's bed with a canopy covering the top. In the corner sat a baby blue rocking chair. Against one of the walls sat a rather large, hand built dollhouse.

Cas pulled up the large, fluffy white comforter on the bed and Sophia jumped in. He crawled in after her and laid the comforter over both of them. He looked at Dean, expectantly. Dean took a seat at the end of the bed, not sure what to do in the situation.

"So, what was your high and low today?" Cas wrapped his arm around the little blond girl and she snuggled into his side.

"My high was having hot dogs for dinner. And my low was only being allowed to watch TV for thirty minutes today." Sophia answered, extremely eloquently for a three year old. "And yours, Papa?"

"Hmm, my high was getting to play hopscotch with you. And my low was cleaning the dishes." He made a silly disgusted face at her and she giggled in response. "How about you, daddy?" Cas looked up at Dean.

Dean shifted uncomfortably at the edge of the bed; Cas calling him "Daddy" disturbed him a bit. He realized it must be a normal thing for Cas to call him that in front of Sophia, though. "Well, my high was getting to spend time with you Soph. And I didn't really have a low." He was being honest. This was a dream world to Dean. He loved the idea of being able to be this girl's father. She was energetic, funny, intelligent, and she looked _a lot_ like Dean and Cas. He could admit he was a bit uneasy about the whole being married to and having a kid with Cas bit, but the past few hours had been amazing for Dean.

Sophia rolled her eyes, "You always say that, Daddy." Dean smiled.

"Okay, time for bed now." Cas crawled out of the bed and tucked the blanket around Sophia. He kissed her on the forehead and moved out of the way for Dean to do the same.

Dean walked over and placed a kiss on the same spot. "Goodnight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

She closed her eyes and Dean and Cas walked out after turning out the light.

"I know that must have been a bit strange for you. But she can't go to sleep if we both don't say goodnight. So, thank you." Cas gave Dean an awkward glance.

"Hey, no problem. She's adorable."

"Well, you can take our bed. I'll sleep on the couch." Cas started making his way down the hallway.

"No way. This is your house. You take your bed. I'm fine with the couch."

"Okay, but if you need anything, this is our room. So, I'll be in here." Cas stopped in front of a door and opened it up to gesture inside. "I'll go set up the couch for you."

Dean was lying on the couch Cas had so graciously placed sheets and blankets on for him. He was staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. _Maybe if I fall asleep here I'll be able to wake up in real life. And then I can get back to my Cas and Sammy. Do I really want to go home, though? This isn't my life; I have to get back. _

After a couple hours of awkward shifting on the couch, Dean gave up on trying to sleep. He went to go explore the house a bit. He made his way to the kitchen to maybe find some dessert in the fridge. It was his dream; he could find pie in the fridge right? As he made his way to the kitchen he saw the light on. He wondered who could be up at midnight in this house. He walked in to see Cas sitting at the counter holding his face in his hands.

"Hey, couldn't sleep either?" Cas jumped at the voice, the chair scooted back a few inches causing a rather loud obnoxious scraping noise.

"Shit. I'm sorry." Dean whispered, hoping he hadn't woken anyone up by scaring Cas.

"Its fine." Cas said, readjusting himself and pulling the chair back in. "Yes, I'm having a bit of trouble falling asleep." He rubbed his neck out of tiredness.

"Yeah, me too. Guess its just being in an unfamiliar place or something."

"We have pie in the refrigerator if you would like some." Cas pointed to the silver fridge across from him.

"Well, son of a bitch, its like you read my mind." Dean made his way to the fridge and opened it up to grab the pie. He found two forks and brought it over to Cas. They both dug their forks in.

"So, do you normally have trouble sleeping?" Dean thought he might as well get to know this Cas while he was here. His Cas didn't even have to sleep.

"I just…um…" Cas looked around the room, avoiding Dean's eyes. "I have difficulty sleeping without Dean er you."

"Oh." The fork stopped just short of Dean's mouth. "Well if you want I could lay on the bed with you. I mean until you fall asleep, if that'll help." Dean didn't mind sharing a bed. He remembered all the nights he was forced to share a bed with Sam and getting used to having a pillow in between both of them.

"I don't want to bother you. I'm fine. I can go a couple nights without sleep." He chuckled. He really couldn't. How was he supposed to hunt and get his Dean back and take care of the house and Sophia on zero hours of sleep?

"Its really not a problem. I can't go to sleep anyways."

"Well, I guess we could try it." Cas squinted in a perplexed manner. Perhaps it would help him get some sleep. So, Cas cleaned the forks and put the pie back and then Dean followed him upstairs to their bedroom.

Cas crawled under the comforter on the right side of the bed and Dean laid down on top of the comforter on the left side of the bed. He let out a breath at how comfortable the bed was. His head hit the pillow and he was slowly lowered into a cocoon of comfort. His eyes started fluttering in an attempt to keep them open and stay awake. He glanced over at Cas who had bunched up the comforter and held it close to his chest. Dean noticed that his facial features were much softer when he was asleep. Dean thought maybe it was because when he was asleep he didn't have to worry about anything. Dean liked staring at Cas sleeping. It was a strange, yet comforting sight. Unable to hold his head up any longer Dean collapsed back into the pillow and fell into a deep sleep.


	3. The Frantic Fight

Gold light cascaded through the blinds of the room illuminating it and thus waking Dean up. His vision was hazy and blurry. He scanned the room and found he was still not back in the motel room. Well there goes the dream theory. Dean was actually stuck in the future. Then Dean realized he felt a warmth around him, unlike being covered in a blanket. His vision cleared and he saw that he was face to face with Cas. In place of the comforter from last night, Cas's fingers were clenching Dean's back. Cas was holding Dean right up to his chest. Dean tensed up and then breathed out slowly, melting into Cas. He remembered all the nights he had dreamt of this, he had ached for this. He would never admit his feelings for Cas, but boy were they ever present in Dean's mind. He felt physical pain when Cas wasn't around. There was a constant tiredness waiting for Cas. The days he would just wait for Cas to show up again were unbearable. Now that Cas was hunting with them on a regular basis it brought Dean new pain. He felt a comfort being around Cas, but it hurt not being able to hold him or tell him just how much he loved him. No way in hell would he ever confess these feelings to anyone; not Cas, not Sammy, no one. He thought yesterday had just been his mind fabricating an illusion based on these feelings, but now that he realized this was real he was going to enjoy it while he could. He smiled at the realization that one day this would be his reality. He didn't want to return to the days where he had to keep his feelings a secret, where he had to look at Cas and not act on his impulses, where he wasn't in Cas's hold.

Dean closed his eyes and breathed Cas in. He smelled like laundry and after-shave.

Cas's eyes slowly opened. He smiled, "Dean." And pulled Dean even tighter.

Dean pretended to be waking up, and fluttered his eyes open to look at Cas.

Cas's eyes went wide, "Wait, are you my Dean?"

"Yep, the one and only Dean Winchester." Surely Dean could pretend to be future Dean and enjoy this life a bit, right? He placed his thumb on Cas's cheek and smoothed it over Cas's stubble. He wasn't in a rush to get back to his usual glum self, pretending he didn't spend half his time staring at Cas or imagining wrapping his arms around Cas.

Cas didn't seem to press the issue of past Dean showing up in their time, and instead smiled and just took in every bit of Dean. They stared at each other a few minutes; Dean stroking Cas, Cas holding Dean.

An obnoxious beeping erupted from besides Cas. He grunted, "Time to return to the real world and make breakfast for the little monster." He released Dean and rolled off the bed. Dean stayed laying down watching Cas. He watched as Cas pulled open a drawer and pulled out a blue cotton shirt and pair of running shorts. Dean stared as his back muscles flexed, pulling over the shirt. He watched as he covered his pajamas, or rather boxers, with the running shorts. Dean very much enjoyed seeing Cas in these clothes. Despite his obvious love for the trench coat, Dean liked seeing Cas in normal clothes.

Cas chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair, "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm just enjoying the view." Dean smiled and slowly rose up from the bed. He walked over to the dresser and reached for the same drawers Cas had just gone to.

"Don't want to wear your own clothes?" Cas was now standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a toothbrush in hand staring at Dean.

"Uh. I like yours better." Dean chuckled trying to play it off. _What if Cas knows I'm not actually his Dean? How does he not know? He knew immediately that one time._

Cas laughed and turned back to the sink. Dean grabbed a black tee shirt and a pair of running shorts. He quickly changed and could feel the clothes were a bit snug on him, since Cas was a bit smaller than he was. He took pleasure in the freeness of the running shorts. It was much more comfortable than his usual ruff jeans.

"You know I think I like my clothes on you better, too." Cas came up behind Dean and wrapped his arms around Dean. He moved his hands up and down Dean's chest. Dean's face turned a slight pink at Cas's comment. Dean looked down at the shirt and realized it was a bit tight on him, displaying his pecks and abs. Dean twisted in Cas's arms to face him and placed his forehead on Cas's. He smiled, reaching his lips closer to Cas's. He was dying to feel Cas's lips on his. He had dreamt about this moment for a while now. He had never imagined it would take place after they were married and had already had a child, but he knew he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Oh, ew. Go brush your teeth, Dean." Cas smiled, letting his arms drop and leaving Dean with an awestruck face. "And hurry, we have to go wake up Sophia. She's gunna be grumpy unless you sing to her." Cas walked back over to the bed and started adjusting the sheets.

After being frozen for a few seconds, Dean remembered he was supposed to be used to this life and swiftly made his way to the bathroom sink and started brushing his teeth. _Singing? What song do I sing? Do I sing the same song every time? This was a bad idea I should have just told Cas that I'm still past me and have no idea what's going on here._ He spit into the sink and resignedly exited the bathroom not prepared for what he was about to do.

Cas was just finishing up making the bed when Dean walked back out. Cas began walking out of the room and down the hall, expecting Dean to follow.

Cas kneeled down next to the bed. "Sophia," he whispered while gently shaking her. She wiggled a bit and slowly her eyes opened. She yawned and sat up in her bed. Cas looked at Dean expecting something from him. Dean jolted a bit, remembering he had to sing. He sat on the end of the bed again and quickly decided which song to sing. "She's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain. I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain. Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place."

His mellow deep voice filled the room and brought a smile to Sophia's face. "Sweet child o' mine!"

"Where do we go?" Sophia jumped up out of the comforter and stood on the bed to sing with Dean. "Where do we go now? Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Sweet child. Sweeettt chiiiiilldd of miiiiiiiiiinneeee." Both were now standing up on the bed with their eyes closed, passionately singing while mimicking playing a guitar in the air.

Cas laughed and clapped. "Bravo. Bravo. Encore. Encore."

Dean grabbed Sophia and jumped off the bed. "The performers are going to need a nice big plate of pancakes and a glass of orange juice if they're going to be asked to perform again." He walked out of the room holding Sophia horizontal to the ground, causing her to giggle all the way downstairs to the kitchen. Dean liked how comfortably and easily he fit into this life.

When they arrived downstairs Sam was already sitting at the dining table with a laptop sitting in front of him.

"New case?" Dean asked setting Sophia on the stool at the counter. Cas went to the refrigerator and started making pancakes.

"Covina, California. People are reporting visits from 'Robot Nazis.'"

"That sounds more like a Doctor Who monster than our kind of thing?" Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam.

"The people were left with two bite marks on their necks and felt light headed the morning after. Sound familiar?"

"Vampires? Why would a vampire be a Robot Nazi?" Dean shrugged. _Should be easy to gank a couple vampires. _

"Bobby and I can go take care of it, if you guys want the day off?"

"No, it sounds like it's just in a general area. We may need Sophia's help. The three of us can take care of it." Cas said, dropping a plop of batter causing a sizzle and the smell of pancakes to emit from the pan.

And so, Dean, Cas, and Sophia spent the morning getting ready and were soon on their way to Covina. A short thirty-minute drive from their house. Dean drove with Sophia next to him and Cas in the passenger side. Dean was driving in anticipation of seeing just how Sophia's gift worked. He had completely ignored the U2 songs blasting from the speakers. And soon, they were pulling into an abandoned building's parking lot.

"Okay, Soph. Do your stuff." Dean turned the key in the ignition and settled back into the seat to look at Sophia. She clasped her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. The three sat silently in the car for about thirty seconds before she opened her eyes again.

"There are three vampires on the third floor of the Emerson Motel." She stared straight ahead, recalling the vision that had just crossed her mind.

"That seems fairly simple. Dean, do you want to go in and I'll stay with Sophia?" Cas looked over at Dean.

"Sure." So, Dean got out of the car. He started walking to his intended destination, leaving Sophia in the safety of Cas in the Impala.

Dean strode up to the motel, about a block from where he parked the Impala. He had some syringes full of dead man's blood and a hefty axe to cut off the heads of the vamps. He quietly made his way up the stairs. He found the room number and placed his hand gently on the doorknob, slowly and carefully turning it. The axe was up ready to be swung at whatever advanced at Dean. And sure enough as soon as he finally opened the door out of the darkness of the room a burly figure tackled him. His back hit the doorjamb causing a spike of pain through his entire body. Dean pulled a syringe out of his pocket and jabbed it into the heart of the attacker. He took the opportunity of the delayed vampire to slice his head off with the axe. One down, two more to go.

He stepped back into the room and back into the darkness. He heard a swish to his right and his cheek was met with a firm fist. He turned and sent his knee right into the vampire's stomach. Next landing a harsh punch to the chin, causing the vampire to stumble backwards.

"Hey, its Winchester." The third vampire finally emerged from the bathroom in the back. Dean took a stance prepared to fight both of them off.

"That means the precious gifted daughter must be around." The second vampire looked over at the other. And in an instant the third vampire ran over to Dean and pushed him down to the floor and the other vampire ran off out of the room.

"Sophia!" Dean yelped, struggling to get out from under the vampire. The vampire only sneered at Dean.

Dean reached for the syringes only to find that the remaining ones had been crushed when he was pushed to the floor. He reached for his axe. In response the vampire stomped on his wrist. A loud crack uttered from his arm.

"You brought the brilliant treasure straight to us. Very smart, Winchester. She'll be a great asset to us. Don't worry we'll only taste her once or twice. She has to be delicious. I mean she is the daughter of Dean Winchester and Castiel." A surge of adrenaline shot through Dean at the biting words. With a forceful push Dean sent the vampire across the room. The pain in his arm had disappeared, due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He grabbed the axe from the ground and with a straight face he took delight in decapitating this vamp. After he was finished he ran off in Sophia and Cas's direction.

"Dean!" Cas was standing in the parking lot with Sophia close behind him. He had his arms wrapped behind him in a protective manner over Sophia. The vampire was circling them. When he saw Dean, he lunged for Sophia.

"Sophia!" Dean ran forward but doubled over and fell to the ground. His stomach was clenching in pain. The same intense pain as before. His eyes were forced shut and he could only lay in the fetal position. The pain made him immobile.

Suddenly the pain seemed to be melting away and he opened his eyes. He was back in the motel room.

"No!" He jumped up, frantically looking around.

"Dean! Dean! Calm down." Sam popped up from the chair waving his hands in front of Dean to calm him down.

Dean looked around for Cas.

"I'm right here, Dean." Dean turned to his left and sure enough Cas was standing right next to him. Somehow he could read Dean's mind, again.

"Cas!" Dean was back in a confused state. Then he remembered he had to save Sophia.

"Dean, you've been gone for two days now. Where have you been? And how did you just show back up in here?" Sam asked.

"I just appeared?"

"Yeah, you pulled a full on Cas."

"I…I…I was in the future." His eyes darted over at Cas for a second, before looking down at the floor.

"The future? It must have been another angel's trick or something. But why?" Cas stared at Dean, studying him.

"You don't understand. I have to get back. Like now." Dean was becoming increasingly panicked. "Ah." He clutched his stomach. Again the pain came over like a tidal wave. He fell into blackness and he could feel Cas's arms wrap around him. The pain slowly vanished and he opened his eyes again.


	4. Muscles on the Mend

When Dean's eyes drifted open, they searched to assess his surroundings. He was laying flat on his stomach on the hot asphalt. He looked for the vampire. Instead of finding him, he saw a black mark on the ground, the approximate size and shape of the vampire. His attention turned in front of him. Cas was running towards him.

"Dean!" Cas skid on the ground, just stopping short of Dean.

Dean put his hand to the ground to push himself up, but his elbow buckled underneath him and he grunted in pain. He twisted around to sit on his butt and let Cas help him up, slowly but carefully.

"What happened?" Dean was crouched over; his ribs were hurting. He reached his arm over Cas, to have some support to continue being able to stand.

"Sophia used her shield and you were sent flying. Then you…you disappeared." _Ah yes the "supernatural shield."_

"Is that..." Dean nodded towards the black mark. He then looked up at Sophia staring at him. She hadn't moved from the spot.

"Yes." Cas pointed towards the car, "Lets get you home and healed up."

Sophia was still frozen in her spot, terror in her eyes at the sight of Dean.

"Ah, its okay, Soph. Look I'm fine." Dean attempted to do a small jig while still gripping onto Cas. It was more of a quick squirm from his legs. His whole body ached, but he tried his best to calm Sophia down.

"Its my fault. My shield. It did that to you." She only stared at Dean.

"No it wasn't your fault. I just jumped out of the way. Cas will heal me up real quick though, don't worry." Dean shuffled towards the car, Cas holding onto his back and slowly advancing with him. His eyebrows were furrowed at Dean.

"Come on Sophia. Daddy's going to be fine. He just needs some pie." Cas opened the backseat door for Dean and helped him in, being careful not to cause any more pain.

Still not reassured, Sophia let herself into the front seat.

Sam heard the door to the garage open up. "How did it go?" He turned his attention from his laptop to the trio. He saw Dean limping towards the couch and Sam immediately jumped up to help him over. "What happened?"

"Those vamps were seriously messed up. They had silver body paint and Nazi uniforms. They must have been trying to convince the town they were going crazy. Those friggers even had needles to drain the blood and only leave two bite marks. Even if they were vamps, they were BBC Sherlock fandom crazy." Dean avoided telling Sam about the shield.

Sam's eyes furrowed at Dean, trying to comprehend all that Dean was saying.

"Sam, would you mind making Sophia some lunch?" Cas said.

"Yeah, sure. Come on, Sophie." Sam held his hand out for Sophia to walk over and grab it.

She hesitantly stayed put and stared at Dean. "Hey, how bout after I get all cleaned up, me and you play with your doll house?" Dean smiled at her.

She grinned and silently grabbed Sam's hand. They headed towards the kitchen, leaving Cas alone with Dean.

Cas took the empty space next to Dean on the couch. "So, Cas, you gonna use your mojo and heal me up, or what?"

Cas squinted his eyes at Dean, "What are you talking about?" Dean opened his mouth to respond, but Cas cut him off. "Dean, Sophia's shield only works on supernatural beings. It doesn't have any affect on humans. So, answer me this. How was she able to send you flying ten feet?"

"I…" Dean's mouth was open in a baffled manner, not knowing how to respond. The news is out, the jig is up.

"You're still past Dean, aren't you?" Cas's face looked serene. Dean was confused, why wasn't he angry? He had lied to him and pretended to be his husband.

Dean looked down, "Yeah. You caught me. But listen, I just." Dean took a breath. "When I found out I was stuck here and this wasn't a dream, I panicked. I figured I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. What good would it have done to tell you your husband is still missing? I didn't think it would hurt anyone."

"Well, we're going to have to figure this out and get my Dean back. And get you back to your time. Don't you want to go back?"

"Why? So, I can go back to my miserable self?"

"Dean, I'm going to tell you a secret. You know that dark haired, blue-eyed man you're spending all your time with? You both help each other become the happiest people. You take away each other's misery. All it takes is you telling him how you actually feel. He won't understand at first, but that first kiss- Oh." Cas's eyes drifted in front of him and a smile crept up to his lips at the memory. "All his feelings will finally make sense."

Dean was intently staring at Cas's lips now. He was studying their roughness and puffiness. He guessed they would taste sweet and soft. He licked his lips and swallowed.

"Its just… You're a dude!" Dean jutted out his hands in a pointed manner.

"And?"

"Aaand, I'm not gay."

"No one said you were."

"But…"

"Listen, Dean, we did struggle, but being together brought so much more happiness to our lives. Isn't it worth it?"

"I guess. This is a pretty great life."

After a few seconds of awkward silence Cas finally spoke up, "Well, lets get you cleaned up." He got up from the couch. "Just wait here a bit."

Cas reappeared with a few bandages, peroxide, and some ice. He gently wrapped up Dean's wrist to keep it straight and then placed the ice directly on the other side of the wrist to attempt to numb the pain.

"Here, take this." He handed Dean a small pill and a glass of water. Dean obediently swallowed; hoping it would bring quick relief from the many bruises forming all over him.

Cas dabbed a small square piece of cloth in the peroxide and leaned forward. His face was a short couple inches away from Dean's. All Dean could do was stare at Cas's lips as Cas gently swiped the cloth across Dean's forehead. Cas opened a bandage and placed it on the scratch that had previously been dripping with blood. He lingered a bit in front of Dean. Dean could feel their breath mixing in front of him.

Abruptly Cas pulled back, "All better."

"So, Cas, I'm still confused about a few things."

"Okay, go ahead and ask me some questions. I'll try to answer the best I can."

"Why can't you just heal me up? And why do you sleep?"

"Well, it actually has to do with the sleep. A while after we started um dating, you requested that I sleep with you. Literally sleep next to you. Despite knowing that I don't need sleep. So, I started sleeping to oblige you. Slowly you started asking me to do more human activities. And slowly my 'mojo' started to dwindle. I'm not entirely sure why. But, now my powers are basically gone, ever since we had Sophia." Dean didn't even want to ask how Sophia came in to being.

"So you sacrificed all that for me?" Dean's voice became soft and very sincere. He couldn't believe Cas would do so much for just him. I mean sure he had raised him perdition and saved his ass several times, but he never had to give up well basically himself for Dean.

"Well, yes. I love you, Dean." All over Dean's body his skin pricked up at Cas's words. He felt a shiver run through his body and his body involuntarily shuddered.

"Well, you should probably go play with Sophia now. She'll be expecting you to be perky and do funny voices with the dolls. Are you up for it? I can always bribe her with ice cream to make her feel better."

Dean slowly stood up and stretched his body. He felt the medication working and his body was mostly numb from the pain. "I should be fine. Thank you, Cas."

"Always, Dean."

"Ms. Flilly would you like some tea?" Dean's voice had gone quite a bit higher and he was using a British accent.

"Yes, please, Matilda." Sophia reached her tiny fingers to hold the cup out for Ms. Flilly, the taller blond doll. Dean mocked pouring liquid into the tiny cup from the hand of the red haired doll, Matilda.

"Okay, you two. It's time for dinner. Go wash up." Cas popped into the room, interrupting their playtime.

"Aww." Sophia pouted.

"Perhaps, if you eat all your vegetables, Daddy might put on that new Barbie movie?" Sophia jumped up and ran to the bathroom to wash her hands. Dean laughed and slowly got up from his crouched position. Despite the decrease in pain, it was still unbelievably present.

After dinner was over, the family all found respective spots on the couch and chairs. Bobby took the reclining chair. Sam sat in the large fancy armchair. Cas sat at one end of the couch and Dean sat at the other. Sophia's head was in Dean's lap and her feet just barely touched Cas's thigh. They were all gathered around to watch the Barbie movie. As Dean watched, he thought how funny it was that this little girl had all of them so incredibly wrapped around her finger that they were all sitting here watching a Barbie movie. About thirty minutes into the movie Sophia's eyes started drooping and soon she was fast asleep.

Dean looked down at her, sleeping peacefully. He motioned at Sam to turn the movie off.

"I guess we should all probably get some sleep." Cas whispered, so as not to wake her. Everyone whispered their goodnights and Sam and Bobby made their way to their rooms.

Dean took hold of Sophia's head in one arm and grabbed her legs with the other and carried her to her room, Cas following close behind.

Dean lightly laid her down and covered her up. He walked over to Cas who was standing in the doorway. "She was out like a light." Dean said.

"Must have been the long day." When Dean moved into the hallway, Cas silently moved the door slightly more closed, keeping it ajar incase something happened. "Speaking of which, it was a long day for you, too. I thought maybe you might want to take a shower?"

"Yeah, actually that sounds perfect right now."

"Well, I don't think you want to use Sam and Bobby's. Unless you want to find strange hairs all over it? You're welcome to use ours. It's in the bedroom. Come." Cas grabbed a towel from the linen closet in the hallway and opened the door to the bedroom. He grabbed some clothes from a completely different dresser from the morning. Larger clothes. He walked over to the bathroom and laid them on the counter. He turned the knob all the way to the left, so it would be nice and warm when Dean got in.

"Alright the shampoo, soap and everything is already in the shower. It's all set up. I'll set up the couch again while you're in the shower."

"Do you mind if I actually sleep in here again? I know its kind of weird, but I couldn't go to sleep on the couch. And honestly, this mattress is amazing. Best nights sleep I've ever had."

"Its fine. I can't go to sleep anyways. As you know." Cas looked sheepishly away.

Dean sauntered over to the bathroom and began his shower.

After Dean was done massaging his muscles and such in the pain relieving warm shower, he stepped out to a condensation filled bathroom. He carefully dried himself with the towel. And then he wrapped it around his waist. He realized it might be a good idea to rub some of that heat cream on his muscles to help even more with the pain. That way tomorrow he could be as good as new. He stepped out of the bathroom to ask Cas if they had any.

"Hey, Cas do you have any of that pain relieving heat cream?" He stood in the doorway to find Cas reading a book on the bed.

Cas looked up and his jaw dropped a bit. He concentrated on a single drop of water that fell from Dean's hair. Dean ruffled it back and forth to attempt to dry it. That was not helping with how Cas felt in that moment. Cas's eyes moved from Dean's hair to his chest. His oh so perfect, chiseled chest. And then they slowly lowered to his abs. Cas could just jump on him. His hands were tingling with the thought of touching Dean's toned muscles. He swallowed hard and remembered Dean asked him a question.

"Sorry, what?"

"Heat cream for pain?"

"Oh, yeah. Let me get some for you." Cas got up and walked past Dean, but not before breathing in the fresh scent of him. The smell of the manly shampoo was intoxicating to Cas. He grabbed a tube from the cabinet below the sink. "Here you go." He held it up for Dean to take.

"Would you mind maybe applying it for me? Its just its on my back and it's a bit difficult for me to reach."

"Uh, sure. Go over to the bed and lay down." Dean did as he was ordered and, still in the towel, lay flat on his stomach on top of the bed. Cas sat next to him and squeezed some of the tube's contents onto Dean's back. He began spreading it around with his fingers. He was touching every bit of Dean's skin as he could. It wasn't like he hadn't before, but this was his old Dean. Not the Dean who had grown used to Cas's touch. Dean moaned as the pain melted away from him. Cas rubbed his back, releasing some of the built up tension in Dean's back.

"Aw, Cas." He involuntarily moaned again.

Cas was getting hot with the sounds being uttered from his past husband's mouth. He took his hands off his back and Dean rolled over on to his back.

"That was amazing. You have some magic fingers, Cas. Remind me to ask my Cas to give me more massages." Dean put his hands behind his head to support to look up at Cas. He was grinning and the pain was all practically gone now, except for the dull sharp pain in his wrist. He licked his lips and Cas couldn't hold back any longer.

He leaned down and placed his lips to Dean's. Dean immediately responded by wrapping his arms around Cas's head, keeping him close. He licked Cas's lower lip, requesting, no demanding Cas let him in. He tasted the sweet taste he expected. Hungrily Cas opened up and let Dean's tongue in. Cas reached his arms on either side of Dean, pinning him down. Dean's tongue melded with the warmth of Cas's tongue. He hadn't known his mouth was so dry before, but now it was completely moist. He arched his back up and down in a rhythm to lean in more and kiss Cas more eagerly. Cas let himself drop onto Dean. He let his fingers wander all over Dean's body. Excitingly exploring Dean's body all over again. There were a few moans and "Oh, Cas" and "Deeeannn," that escaped from their lips. And though they were hungry and aching for each other, they stopped. They slowly removed themselves from each other, but not after a few bites on lips. Cas rolled over and collapsed next to Dean. Dean's heart was still racing; he hadn't remembered the last time he was so excited to make out with someone. And be perfectly fine with just making out with them. They lay for a few minutes next to each other, panting trying to cool down. Soon, the two fell asleep in silence.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you alittleboatfullofwater, yukie-senpai, Luka Knight, thefreespirit18, and Tatia Salvatore for your lovely reviews. Thankfully I think I've gotten used to the whole college schedule and such, so I should probably be able to write a bit more often. But for now I'll probably just post once a week. Hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading and following and favoriting! Have a great day! :)_


	5. Greetings From a Goddess

Dean awoke to an unpleasant beeping noise. He heard a groan underneath him and felt an arm slither out from under his stomach. The hand that belonged to the arm reached out and stopped the noise. Dean was now fully alert. He looked down to see himself on top of Cas. His legs were intertwined with Cas'. The towel was now lying over Dean, only covering his bum. He felt an uncomfortable stiffness near his groin and he promptly pulled himself away from Cas and off the bed, covering himself in the towel. This movement startled Cas and he sat up, "Dean?" He rubbed his eyes and reached for a pair of glasses on the bedside table. He placed them on his face and looked at Dean.

Dean's jaw clenched at the sight of Cas in glasses. Of course now he had a glasses kink. He averted his eyes, being too turned on. His hands still kept clasped at a bundle of the towel, keeping it up.

"I should probably change." Dean felt his face heat up. He knew his face probably looked like a tomato right now. He had slept naked with Cas. He slept _naked_ with _Cas_.

Dean shuffled over to the dresser that he guessed was his and pulled out a pair of jeans and a navy blue tee shirt. He pulled the jeans on under the towel, then dropped the towel to his feet and pulled the shirt on over his head.

Cas pulled the comforter off of him and peered at his lap. There was a presence that seemed to have risen. He looked down at the floor and covered himself back up with the comforter. "I think I'm going to take a shower."

"I'm gunna go get some breakfast." Dean quickly walked out of the room.

Cas got out of his rather cold shower and stepped into a pair of khaki pants and a baby blue polo. He decided he should let Sophia sleep in today. She could start her school lessons with Sam later than usual.

Cas procrastinated going downstairs and running into Dean. He spent a much longer time fixing the bed than was necessary. Then, he spent an intentionally long time brushing his relentlessly messy hair. He sighed resignedly and decided ten minutes was enough time spent on brushing his teeth. He walked out of the bathroom and made his way downstairs.

"Hey, Cas. Look, I made eggs and bacon." Dean triumphantly smiled up at Cas as he walked into the kitchen. Dean added a couple pieces of bacon to the pan and a satisfying sizzle was elicited.

"Oh." Cas stood awkwardly a few feet from the counter.

"Go ahead and sit down. I'll get you a plate." A clatter sounded from the cabinet as Dean picked up a plate. "Bobby and Sammy and Sophie already ate. Sam and Soph are already doing their morning lesson. Counting by tens and learning to count syllables today." He stopped shuffling the eggs and mindlessly looked up, "Don't know why I didn't think of that. Makes sense that she's so smart. Sammy teachin' her and all." He shoved the eggs around the pan a few more times and then placed them on the plate besides the bacon. He placed the plate in front of Cas with salt and ketchup, grinning at being so proud of himself.

"Dean, I think we should tell Sam and Bobby that you're not…you." The smile faded from Dean's face.

"Right of course. I gotta get back to my Cas. Can't live here forever, right?" He nervously chuckled.

"Its not…Dean this life won't happen if you don't get back to your time. You need to get back to past Sam and me. They need you." Cas rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes shifted around the room. "And honestly, I need to be able to ravish my husband whenever I feel the need or want. Your presence makes that impossible." They both thought back to the embarrassing moment in the morning.

"You're right. We'll get to researching. But can we wait a bit to tell Sam? Don't want to interrupt their study session."

"Of course."

Bobby handled the predicament pretty well. He had grown so accustomed to strange phenomenon happening to both the boys. What's a little time travel?

Sam took the situation pretty calmly as well.

The four were now sitting around the study, researching. Bobby sat at his desk with a stack of books in front of him. Sam sat at a table with his laptop illuminating his face with a dull light. Dean sat on top of Bobby's desk carefully reading a random dusty old book. Cas was sitting at the desktop computer scrolling.

"So you said you found the video in an abandoned witch store?" Sam looked up from his laptop.

"Yeah. Wacky bottles and weird herbs. The whole shebang." Dean answered.

"The obvious answer is that it was some spell, right?" Sam said simply.

"Well yeah, but there's nothin' in these books about necromancers havin' the ability to Back to the Future someone." Bobby retorted.

Sam stared pensively at his laptop. "Maybe there's a reason you were sent here. Cas, you said he's from a few days before he told you he loved you, right? Maybe, it has something to do with your relationship."

"What like some 'look at what's in front of you, Winchester' type of thing?" Dean set his book down on the desk.

"It is logical. Perhaps what you started to play was a learn your lesson type of spell. And the only way for you to learn a lesson was to be sent to the future. To see what could be, to be motivation for you." Cas tilted his head in a quizzical manner.

"Okay, but how do I get back? I'm supposed to go back and tell you I love you, right? So, I've learned my lesson, right?"

"Maybe it's much deeper than that. You said you were sent back to the past. That's unusual." Cas added.

"We may have to figure out who did this to you." Sam slowly closed his laptop.

"Who? Obviously it was just a witch who owned the shop that cursed the video. And, I don't think we're gunna find them any time soon. We have nothing to start on."

"Maybe it's not that simple, though. The video drew your attention specifically. Not mine. Not Cas'. You." Sam explained.

"Sounds like someone had some intentions of gettin' you to explicitly admit your feelings to Cas." Bobby reached for another book. He opened to a page and smacked his finger down. "Here it is." The three other men drew close to Bobby. "In mythology there's basic rules. You never accept gifts from gods and you never disrespect them. You did both, Idjit." He turned the book around so that it was facing them.

"Aphrodite." Dean said quietly.

"Goddess of love." Bobby stated.

"You pissed off the goddess of love, Dean." Sam smirked.

"Hey, I just grabbed an intriguing looking video. And, kept my feelings hidden. I'm having a hard time seeing how that would upset a goddess."

"Dean, you insulted her by not expressing your love for Cas. It's pretty simple actually." Sam remarked.

"Okay, so, what do we do?"

"Well, looks like we're gunna invite Aphrodite over for dinner. See if we can't get this situation all sorted out. Dean you're gunna have to explain everything to her."

"And you all think she's gunna what? Send me back to my time? And then what? I have to pretend like this never happened? Like I somehow magically realized my feelings for Cas?" Dean shook his head. "This is not going to play out well." He mumbled.

"Dean, it's the best shot we got. This wouldn't have happened if you had just manned up and confessed your undying love to Cas." Bobby stared hard at Dean.

"You got anything to say, Cas? You're staying pretty quiet." Dean raised an eyebrow at Cas.

Cas just looked at Dean. Oh geez not another one of those unsettling long lasting stares that somehow reached deep into Dean's soul.

"Ah." Dean dropped to his knees. The piercing pain pervaded his entire body. It started in his gut and traveled through the rest of his body. A growl involuntarily escaped from his lips and he blacked out.

"Deeeeaannnn." Cas let out a pant.

Dean let out a shaky breath. "Cas. So. Close." Dean held tighter to the tufts of black hair in his hands, preparing himself for the rush of ecstasy.

As soon as Dean's back rolled causing his hips to plunge even farther forward, Cas dissipated from beneath him.

Dean dropped to the bed. He turned to see that he was no longer in a dirty motel room, but on a large white fluffy bed. And now he was wearing a light cloth that covered his shoulder and cascaded down.

"Dean Winchester." A gorgeous dark haired woman sauntered over to him. She had her long hair in a top bun with two curls that fell on either side of her delicately pale face.

"Aphrodite?" Dean sat up and pulled his legs closer to him in a protective manner.

She slowly nodded her head.

"Where am I? What's going on?"

"Did you really think I would just let you go back to your time and live happily ever after with Castiel?"

Dean just stared at her, entirely confused.

"You do realize that the whole being married to Castiel and having Sophia was just an illusion, right? Your mind fabricated all that on its own. I had no part in it."

"What do you mean my mind fabricated it? You sent me to the future to motivate me to tell Cas that I-"

"No, Dean. I can't control time. Only love. I only left a video for you to pick up. I mean it did have the ability to get you stuck inside your own mind. Took you a while to figure out it was me, though. Much longer than I expected a Winchester to take. The only thing to break the curse." She sat on the bed and crossed her leg to bob her foot.

"So, where am I then? I mean where's my body." Dean panicked that Cas and Sam would think he's dead.

"You're unconscious in Castiel's arms. Never left you, you know? You've been out for a week and he hasn't let go of you. Because of what you ask? Love. Something you chose to ignore."

"Okay, so you're pissed that I never admitted my feelings to Cas. So, aren't you gunna let me get back to him, so that I can?"

"Nope. It's not that easy Dean. Do you really think you deserve Castiel? You can't utter three simple words, but he'll sit with you unconscious in his arms for a week. You have to prove you deserve his love. I can't go letting my pets suffer because one of them is an imbecile."

"So, what do I have to do?"

"Ah, yes. That will include the typical triple challenges to see if you are really worthy of Castiel's love. Are you willing to go through tribulations for him?"

"I'll do _anything_ for Cas." Dean said through gritted teeth.

"Well, then, lets begin shall we?" Her wrist flicked her long nailed fingers in a fluid, threatening motion. Dean's stomach knotted up and he closed his eyes.


	6. Obligatory First Trial

Dean's surroundings had morphed into a small room with three walls and a gate that opened to darkness. He tentatively took a few steps out making sure to make himself as big as possible, squaring off his shoulders and puffing out his chest. He was ready to intimidate anything to death. He heard feet shuffling all around him, and he squinted to attempt to see through the darkness. A bright light filled the stadium. Dean's eyes adjusted and he saw hundreds of men and women surrounding him with their eyes fixed on him.

There was no one in the stands except for the lone Aphrodite. She sat on one of the concrete benches. Dean furrowed his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"First test. Find the real Castiel in this crowd of people. A key to love is being able to identify your companion. Some will appear to have similar facial features as Castiel, but I assure you that in no way determines that it is truly he. You must use what you know about Castiel to discern the real him. Oh and you have ten minutes to find him! Let the games begin!"

Aphrodite turned from Dean to the many people around him.

"Dean!" An old man shouted at Dean's face. _Too enthusiastic._

"Dean, baby." A lady in a red dress drifted her fingers across Dean's chest. _Too eager._

"Deeeaannn." A man with Castiel's piercing eyes, but blonde hair approached Dean. _Too whiny._

Dean started sweating. How was he supposed to find his Cas within the time limit out of these hundreds of people?

"Dean, you imbecile. Why couldn't you just tell me you loved me? Look what you've doomed us both to." A tall, skinny man with dark hair and eyes shook Dean. Dean felt a pang at the words; this _was_ his fault. But he knew this wasn't his Cas.

Dean pushed his way further through the crowd, fingers grabbing at his shirt. He searched for people who were completely ignoring him, standing powerful and confused, or a crumpled ball of a person on the ground. The different sides of Cas that Dean had seen. There was also the loopy Cas, but he was sure that was not the state of mind Cas was in at the moment.

He saw a few that looked at him with dead eyes. At first he thought they might be Cas, but he realized they lacked the spark that Cas' stare always had.

"Dean?" A voice full of worry was uttered through the crowd. _Bingo._

"Cas? Cas, where are ya man?" Dean searched the people.

"I'm right here, honey." A man who looked a bit like the older version of Cas came up to Dean and licked his cheek.

Dean pushed him away and sternly spoke, "You are not Cas."

"Dean? Dean, where are you?" The same voice. It wasn't Cas' voice, but it had his same tone of worry. Dean knew it anywhere. His stomach churned with the discomfort of hearing the distress in the voice.

"Cas! I'm right here. Where are you?" Dean was becoming more urgent; time was ticking.

There was no answer. Dean's eyes surveyed the floor, looking for Cas' furrowed eyebrows. He saw a couple of the loopy Cas, dancing around and randomly grabbing people. He saw a few women with Cas' blue eyes and dark hair. Dean's lower region stirred with the sight of Cas as a female. Though, he stayed focused on the task at hand.

"Dean come lay down with me." One of them took hold of Dean's shoulder and kicked the back of his knee in so that he fell to the floor. Well, she did have the strength of Cas, but Cas was not that commanding of Dean, at least not in a sexual way. _Yet_, Dean thought hopefully.

He struggled under her grip, but was eventually able to rise to his feet. A piercing screech rang through the arena. Dean held his head in his hands, attempting to cover his ears. He recognized the noise from the time after he was out of hell. His head felt like it was going to burst when it finally stopped. _So much Cas, but where the hell is mine?_

"Dean, I need you." The voice was drawing closer.

"Cas, I need _you_, man. Where are you?" Dean figured asking was getting repetitive and probably wouldn't help, but he didn't know any other way of finding Cas sooner. He looked at his watch. Five minutes left. He had to come up with a plan and quick. He groaned and grabbed his leg. "Ow, shit." He crumpled to ground pretending to be in pain. He was hoping it would draw out his Cas. He knew Cas had a protective instinct over Dean and would come any time Dean was in trouble.

"I'm right here, Dean." A burly, shorter man with sandy blonde hair and a gruff beard ran over to Dean. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed in a concerned Cas manner.

"Cas?"

"I'm right here." A woman with red hair and freckles placed her hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean melted under the familiar touch. _Well, damn it could be her too._

"Dean, we have to leave. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not able to use my powers." The burly man spoke to Dean in a serious tone.

"But, I'm Castiel. Why are you impersonating me?" The red head growled at the shorter man.

"Dean, you have to believe me. It's me, Castiel. I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." The man snarled in a husky voice.

"Dean, the man is clearly lying. I don't know what's going on, but you can't trust this person." The female got right up to the male, who didn't back away.

The two stood face-to-face, inches away from each other, their stare not breaking.

"Hold on. There's gotta be a better way to figure out who the real Cas is." Dean placed a hand between the two, breaking them apart from each other. He put a finger to his lip in a thoughtful manner. "Okay, I'm gunna ask a couple questions. Now, I know exactly how Cas would answer, so there's no bullshittin' me." The two nodded their heads in response.

Dean turned his face up at Aphrodite, his expression was furious. He didn't seem to enjoy her games as much as she did. She slyly smiled at him, tapped her finger on her wrist, and mouthed "Two minutes. Better hurry."

He spent a couple seconds contemplating the best questions to elicit Cas like answers.

"Would I ever let you drive Baby?"

"Of course not." They answered in unison.

"Okay, too easy of a question. Uh, if we had a daughter what would her name be and why?"

"If I'm not mistaken, if you and I were to mate the offspring would have special abilities. I would name her Sophia, because-"

"It means wisdom. She would have abilities dealing with knowing." The man finished for the red head.

"Well…" Dean looked between the two. Clearly discerning between these would not be so simple.

"Who does Kermit love?"

"Easy, Ms. Piggy." The red head answered confidently.

"I don't understand." The man tilted his head at the woman and Dean.

"Ah, Cas. It's you! I knew it." Dean wrapped the man in a full on embrace.

The man stood still under Dean, "Dean?"

Dean began to let go of Cas, but kept his hand on his back, not wanting to let go of the real Cas amidst the sea of Cas's.

"We gotta get out of here."

"What's going on Dean? You've been unconscious for a week now. I was sitting…" Cas' face tinged pink and he looked away from Dean. "Next to you and I blinked and all of a sudden I was in this body that I didn't recognize. Also, curiously surrounded by people claiming to be me."

"Apparently I found a way to piss of a goddess. But it's okay. You're here now." He hugged Cas again. He slowly let Cas out of his grasp, making sure to keep his fingers lingering on the small of Cas' back.

"We have to find a way out of here. Can you zap us out?"

"I told you, my powers seem to currently not be able to function."

"Well, there's gotta be a way out of here. C'mon." Dean gently pushed Cas forward and they walked a few steps through the crowd. Hands were still pawing at Dean's chest with a few growls of "Dean."

A head with a blond quiff and blue eyes advanced towards the two. He jumped onto Dean and wrapped his legs around Dean's waist. Dean let go of Cas' back to push the man off, but in an instant everything around Dean disappeared.

"Did you really think it would be that easy? You're forgetting there's two other tasks, Dean." Dean spun around to face Aphrodite.

"Okay, listen here. I need to get back to Cas. Its one thing to screw with me, but you can't screw with him!" Dean's voice was full of venom as he took an aggressive step towards her.

"Dean, I don't think you understand. I am a goddess. You can't threaten me." She flicked her wrist and Dean flew back a few feet landing on his back. He was left squirming trying to get up, but found he couldn't. Eventually he gave up and let his head fall back to the floor.

Aphrodite walked up to his side to look down at him. He shot daggers at her. "Also, you mustn't blame me for this. This all falls on you. Three simple words and this predicament never would have occurred."

"You don't get it. Cas…Cas is…He's too important. I couldn't scare him off by telling him I love him. I _had_ to pretend the feelings didn't exist to protect him. To protect Sammy. To protect everyone. Even if he did return the feelings, it would completely change our relationship. How are we supposed to hunt if our team of three has two love drunk idiots? And I didn't know if he did return the feelings. He's so…so clueless. About everything. And, on top of that I'm not one of those feelings type of people. So, you gotta see how saying those 'three simple words' might be a little difficult for me."

"But, Dean, he does love you. There's nothing to fear. You've seen a potential future for the two of you. You still save people. Your relationship grows stronger." For a minute Aphrodite's face turned soft, instead of a rather large scary goddess face.

"You know honestly, I'm going fairly easy on you. Eros wanted to just kill both of you. But I saw so many possibilities and promise in your relationship. I took it upon myself to set up challenges for you, to prove that your relationship is worth saving. Or rather that your lives were worth sparing."

"Next you're gunna tell me Olympus set up bets on our relationship." Dean chuckled.

Aphrodite averted her eyes. "It's not exactly like the bets you're familiar with." She mumbled.

"Are you shitting me?" Dean lifted up his chin to look at Aphrodite from his lying down position.

"Do you remember that one time your radio started playing _Let's Get it On _while you and Cas were driving alone in the Impala at night? Well, Apollo had claimed one year. It was his best attempt. And that werewolf that took Sam out, so he was forced to stay in the motel to rest, thus forcing you and Cas to hunt alone? Athena claimed a year and half. I mean honestly, purgatory and the Leviathan prompted our desperateness. Though, after four years, Eros was getting tired. And so here we are." She smiled down at Dean.

"Well, I'm glad my love life is a game to you all."

"Actually, Dionysus was all team Dean. All the drinking and endless one night stands." She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left. "But, Dean, it's always going to end up being you and Cas. It's destiny. Thanks to your friendly Fates." She giggled. "So are you ready for part two?" She raised an eyebrow.

"If it gets me closer to getting Cas and away from all this shit, then hell yes!" Dean was finally able to sit up and he jumped up.

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Sorry, I had just gotten out of my mythology class when I started writing this, so there's lots of references at the end haha Anyways hope you all are enjoying this short story and thank you for reviews, follows and favorites :) Hope you enjoy the rest of your day!_


	7. Earth Shaker's Domain

_ Whoosh! _Dean opened his eyes and a wave crashed into him causing him to drift back a few feet. He quickly got a hold of himself and kicked his feet in the water surrounding him, wildly waving his arms to keep himself afloat. He looked around. Water swirled all around him, waves crashed into each other, and there was a light mist above water. There was nothing in sight but water. Amidst the chaos of blue mixing in front of him, he noticed something out of place. There was a dark spot bobbing up and down about hundred feet in front of him. Dean swiftly swam through the harsh tides to the object. As he neared, the object swiveled around and electric blue shone through the water. Dean recognized the eyes and hurriedly paddled towards the figure that was slowly submerging lower and lower despite their frantic swinging of arms to stay afloat. Dean scooped his arm under the man's armpit dragging him up to the surface. He was pushing his feet forcefully into the water, struggling to support both him and Cas.

Cas' head lolled in the water. His eyes were closed, no longer displaying the blue that drew Dean to him.

"Cas! Cas wake up!" Dean shook his body in an attempt to elicit a response from Cas. Sluggishly Cas raised his head up and opened his eyes.

"Dean?" He croaked, his eyes searching Dean's.

"Can you swim? I can't support us much longer." Dean's legs were tensing and his free arm was frantically waving around in the water.

"I…I don't know how." Cas' eyebrows furrowed in a concerned manner. Confusion and worry settling on his face. Dean ached at Cas' pleading look.

"Just kick your feet, Cas. Move your arms like this." Dean moved his arm in front of Cas demonstrating a fluid motion.

Cas kicked his feet below him and used his arms to do more of a dog paddle than what Dean had demonstrated. Dean felt the weight becoming less and slowly let go of Cas.

"Where are we?" Cas' head bobbed up and down, still unsure how to swim.

"It's the second task." Dean turned his head to look for Aphrodite somewhere in the frothy waters.

"Second task? Dean, what are you talking about?"

"It's a long story. Apparently I had to say I love you or something and now I'm doing some bullshit challenges to prove my love for you to save both our lives."

Cas tilted his head and squinted his eyes at Dean, trying to register all that he had just said.

"I'm not sure what the objective of this task is, though. Little Miss Cupid sure picked a convenient time to disappear." Cas continued to stare at Dean, confusion still very much present.

"Okay first of all, Mr. Dean Winchester, Cupid is my son. I am not 'Little Miss Cupid.' Shouldn't you know that? Haven't you met a cupid?" A feminine voice boomed from above the water. Dean and Cas snapped their heads up searching for the source.

"Where are you?" Dean barked.

"Silly, I am not coming down there. Water is Poseidon's thing, not mine. Oh, looks like my chocolate has arrived. I gotta go, but there's a way out of here. You just have to find it. And make sure to support Cas the entire way until you find it! When you're finished I'll meet up with you again for your last and final task!" The voice went silent and Cas and Dean were left again with the crashing waves as the only deterrent to silence.

"All right, here's the plan. We're gunna keep swimming in one direction until we find the exit. I vote that way." Dean pointed straight ahead of him. There were no indicators that any direction was going to have the exit. He figured staying on one course would lead to the exit. And so the two swam in the direction that Dean pointed.

"What did you mean you have to prove your love for me?" Cas squirmed his arms awkwardly trying to propel himself forward to catch up with Dean. Both were more floating than swimming, because Cas was still having difficulty swimming and they wanted to preserve their energy.

Dean kept staring straight ahead. He was not prepared to have this conversation. "Its just some mythology crap. I don't even know." He huffed. This is exactly what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Why couldn't he just admit his love for Cas?

Cas stayed silent for a few more minutes until he finally felt the need to speak up. "So, you angered the goddess Aphrodite because you couldn't admit feelings for me. And now she's putting you through trials to validate your love for me. And if you succeed she won't kill us. What happens if you fail?" Dean stopped swimming for a second.

"I'm not going to fail Cas. I don't know if you know what love is, but to me it's not letting down the people you love. You may not understand it now, but Cas, you gotta know I'll never let you down. I'm going to keep fighting until you and I are sitting comfortably at a dinner table eating casseroles and talking about that one funny episode of that one funny show." Dean didn't wait for a response and continued swimming.

A couple hours passed and they still weren't anywhere near anything that resembled an exit. Despite Dean's athleticism he was breathing heavily and his arms were intensely sore.

"Dean, I…don't think…I can go...any more." Cas' words were separated by gulps for air.

"C'mon Cas we're almost there." Dean attempted to console Cas though he honestly didn't know how far away the exit was or even if they were headed in the right direction. Every few feet he cursed himself for getting Cas involved with this. This was his fault; Cas shouldn't be punished. The passed hours the only thoughts going through Dean's head were wondering why he couldn't just straight up admit his feelings to Cas and how he could possibly think he would ever be happy without having Cas that way. Maybe he knew he would never be happy without Cas. It seemed like everything bad happened to him, Cas and Sammy were his only solace. Maybe if he were in a relationship with Cas they could carry the burdens together and Dean wouldn't have to take the brunt of the Winchester problems alone anymore. He tried so many years to protect Sam from everything, despite their problems insistence on hurting both Sam and Dean. Maybe if Dean had Cas' support in more ways he would be happier. He knew he would be happier. He would be happier knowing that he could kiss his soft lips whenever he pleased. He would be happier knowing that he could wrap Cas up in his arms whenever he was worried; he could console Cas. He would be happier knowing that Cas would be Dean's and only Dean's and ultimately Dean would only be Cas'.

Dean trudged on, but was alarmed when he heard sputtering and coughing from behind him. He turned to see Cas slowly sinking, his legs and arms moving much slower. He wrapped Cas' arm over his shoulders and was suddenly pushed down from the weight, but Dean kicked his legs harder to support them.

"Dean…I…Just let me go." Cas' eyes were drooping out of tiredness.

"No way, Cas. We're almost there. C'mon, I'll hold you. You just gotta stay awake, okay?" Cas nodded his head slowly in response. He feebly kicked his legs and moved his arms through the water attempting to help Dean carry him.

Dean's breathing was much more delayed and his muscles were burning with tiredness, but still he carried Cas and kept swimming. He was determined to get Cas out of the water.

An hour had passed and Dean had become much slower, his breathing was labored and his entire body was shaking with exhaustion.

"Dean, I don't have my powers. I'm useless to you. Just let me go. It's okay." Cas' body had gone limp from trying to help Dean. His body was steadily being drained of energy, regardless of sitting still in Dean's arm.

"Cas, I'm not gunna let you go." Dean sternly looked in front of him. Dean was not used to Cas being so powerless and fragile. He could see fear on Cas' face and it tortured Dean. He didn't know how to eliminate Cas' distress and the feeling of inadequacy gnawed at Dean_. I can't even protect him now. Please Cas just smile, just show me those teeth. Please I just need your eyes to light up. _Dean's heart throbbed with the pain of seeing Cas so defenseless, so miserable.

"I'm getting weaker and you have to get out of here. I'm only slowing you down." He looked up at Dean. "Its okay. I've had a wondrous time with you Dean. It's all I've needed. You can leave me." He slowly unwound himself from Dean's arm and gave Dean a bleak smile.

Dean grabbed his collar and pulled Cas back to him. "Hey, you listen to me. I am not letting you go. We're gunna go on cheesy dates. We're gunna watch chick flicks and eat tons of cheeseburgers. We're gunna kiss like there's no tomorrow. We're gunna hold hands because it makes us both feel safe, because touching each other makes us feel protected. We're gunna get married and we're gunna have a daughter. We're gunna continue hunting, because its what you and I do best. And, years from now, a long long long time from now, we're gunna die, but only because we've lived our perfect life together. So, you, Castiel, hold on to me and shut your pretty mouth while I swim us the hell out of here, so we can get started on our perfect life."

Startled from Dean's words, Cas stayed silent. Dean reenergized himself with his speech and sped up a bit, despite his body completely resisting.

It was only a few more minutes before Dean spotted a sky blue wall. It appeared that they were in a gargantuan tank surrounded by a circular wall. With his hand on Cas' chest he dragged Cas behind him.

"Cas! Cas, look. It's the exit!"

Cas mumbled and flailed around under Dean's arm before turning around. His eyes grew large at the sight. No matter how high his eyes looked up there was no end to the wall.

Dean put his foot down and found a bottom to the water.

"Hey, Cas go ahead and stand. I can't hold you much longer."

Cas straightened his legs and stood a bit clumsily. Dean put his arm over his shoulder and the two of them schlepped up to the now visible stairs a few feet away.

Dean stood at the bottom of the stairs and Cas put his hand on Dean's shoulder to boost him up the stairs. When he reached the top, Dean followed close behind. The two stood in front of a door.

"Well, here goes nothing." Dean put his hand on the knob, but Castiel abruptly grabbed his wrist.

"You don't know what's behind there." Cas' lips sat in a straight line in concern.

"Just one more task Cas. One more and I get to return to you and we can live 'happily ever after' or some shit." He rolled his eyes at the happily ever after part.

"But Dean, what if this task isn't over? What if there is something behind that door?" Cas didn't remove his hand.

"We got no other choice. Whatever it is I'll handle it." Before Cas could argue Dean turned the knob and pushed the door open.

A bright light burst through the opening and showered upon them. Dean closed his eyes to shield from the brightness. The feeling of Cas' gentle touch on his wrist melted away from Dean. _Here we go again._

_A/N: Hello! I went to Universal over the weekend and didn't have time to write anything, but I'm sick today so I had time to write haha Only two more chapters! Thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! Muah! J_


	8. Messenger's Mischief

Dean felt the brightness dissipate and opened his eyes. His head turned to his left, knowing Cas was gone, but still having hope his angel was standing next to him. In the place of Cas was Aphrodite, clothed in a thin white dress with her contrasting hair cascading in ringlets down her back, facing forward to nothing. They were surrounded by whiteness.

She turned her head to her right and looked at Dean. "Are you ready for the last task?" Her eyes turned solemn looking.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed at her obvious concern. "After this me and Cas get to have our life together right?"

"Well, that is if you complete the task. And you've learned your lesson and initiate a relationship with Castiel."

"So, what's the next task? I'm a bit anxious to get this over with, if you can't tell." Dean huffed.

"Well, this last part is a bit…complicated. Hermes!" Aphrodite yelled to nowhere in particular.

"Ah, Aphrodite, your delivery." A short figure adorned in a hat and winged shoes dissolved in to existence. Another figure appeared behind him, shortly after. Hermes gently pushed the back of the individual towards Aphrodite.

Dean became frozen at the sight. Despite all that he's witnessed he couldn't believe what was occurring right in front of him. He gulped when the person came closer.

"Dean?" The man's eyebrows furrowed. There were dark shadows under his drooping eyes. His hair was no longer slicked to the side, but in a mess all over his head. He was hunched over, unlike his normal perfect composure.

"Dad?" Dean's jaw clenched. He grew confused. This wasn't his dad, not the dad he grew up with. This was his younger dad. His dad that fell in love with his mom.

Dean turned to Aphrodite. His eyebrows drew together in a confused manner.

"Hermes do you want to explain this one?"

"Well, you see, when someone dies and they go to hell, we down in Hades get a part of them. The part of your father that wasn't a hunter was brought to Hades by yours truly."

"So, that's him? That's my dad?" Dean looked his father up and down. Hades wasn't supposed to be like hell, why did his dad look so miserable?

"Yes, he still has all of John's memories, but he's stuck in the state of before the fire."

Young John looked down, his eyes unfocused. He was not participating nor listening to the conversation going on. He seemed serene, but disinterested with all that was going on.

"So, I don't understand. What's the task?"

"Dean, you're biggest obstacle of being with Cas, is your thoughts about your father. You're constantly stuck in the mind set that he would be disgusted by the idea of you falling in love with another man. You need to get past this for you and Cas to be happy."

Dean swallowed hard and looked at the ground.

"My father would never accept this. He…he would put an end to it. I can't…" Dean's words faded as he peered at his dad who appeared to be completely ignoring everyone.

"Why don't you tell him and see what he has to say?" Aphrodite said, smiling encouragingly.

"You don't understand. Me and Cas…Me and a _man_. He would kill me. I can't disappoint him anymore."

"Dean, how's Sammy?" His dad's gravelly voice drifted up from his cracking lips. He finally lifted his head up to look at Dean.

"Sammy? Sam's good." Dean shifted his weight from one foot to the other, obviously uncomfortable with this whole situation.

John smiled slightly at Dean's words. "And you, Dean?"

"I'm good, dad." Dean drew his lips in a fake smile, exposing his teeth.

John's smile faded and his eyebrows drew together. "Something's troubling you."

"Me? No, course not. I'm as happy as a tornado in a trailer park."

"Dean, I'm your father. You can't lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Well…" Dean looked at his dad's earnest eyes. Maybe he would understand. Maybe he would even be _happy_ for him and Cas. "Well, dad, see I've found someone I really love."

John smiled, "Tell me about them."

"They are pretty dorky, in a smart, naive way. Dark hair, bright blue sapphire eyes. Ah those eyes. Its like going to the beach on the clearest, brightest day and the sky is blue as ever. Somehow their eyes just possess that ultimate gorgeousness." Dean looked to the floor and smiled to himself imagining Cas' blue eyes. "You'd like 'em. Pretty amazing hunter with a get shit done attitude. Badass with a gentle manner. And…and his name is Cas." Dean looked up from the floor to meet John's eyes.

John's smile grew with each of Dean's descriptions of Cas, it hadn't disappeared when Dean mentioned that he was a he.

"Dean, I'm so happy you found someone so special." His dark eyes brightened a bit. "So, what's wrong?"

"I screwed up. I kept my feelings to myself. I was afraid of judgment, rejection, messing up our relationship…you."

"Me?"

"Dad, you never really voiced your support of either me or Sam being into guys."

"Dean, if you find someone you love, I don't give a shit what they are. They could be a werewolf and I'd still be happy for you. And as far as the whole screwing up by not expressing your feelings- I mean this is more of your mother's area, but how will you be able to create happiness if you can't be with the one who makes you happy? You need to get to that boy and tell him you love him."

A cough sounded from Hermes. Dean and John had completely forgotten that they were in the presence of two gods.

"While all this is sweet and everything, I need to get back to delivering souls and such. Adios, homies." Hermes' shoes started fluttering and soon he dispersed into the air.

"Hermes, you forgot something." Aphrodite spoke sarcastically. Hermes appeared again.

"Oh, right. Come on John. Time to return to the Underworld."

"Wait, can't we have a few more minutes to talk?" Dean said, putting his hand on his dad's chest in a protective manner.

Hermes sighed, "Well, I guess I could come back in a few minutes. I have an appointment with Heracles. When that's over, though, he's gotta go back."

Dean nodded his head in agreement and Hermes disappeared again.

"Dean, the task is over. You admitted to your father. You've completed the three tasks. You can get back to Castiel now." Aphrodite turned slightly on her feet to face Dean.

"I just need a few minutes with my dad. I think I've deserved that." He spat.

Aphrodite pretended to not be offended by his biting tone. She _did_ give him challenges with minimal difficulty. He's lucky he didn't have to kill Cas a thousand times to prove he could handle sacrifice. "Well, as soon as Hermes returns he has to return to the underworld and you have to return to the real world." A bench appeared behind Aphrodite and she took a seat and started twisting her hair.

"Dad, I think you'd be really proud of the three of us. Me, Sammy, and Cas having been doing pretty well with the whole business. We solve cases like five times faster with Cas on our side. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he's kind of an angel. I really wish you could be there with us. I wish you could meet Cas."

"I wish I could meet him too. He sounds pretty great. Or at least he seems to have made a pretty great impression on my son." John smiled.

"Is the underworld pretty hellish?" Dean's smile from talking about Cas faltered.

"Its not too bad. Its not the happiest ever, but its not torture. It just kind of is. Maybe a bit exhausting."

"It sucks to know you're hurting in more than one place. You don't deserve this. You should be with us. The four of us could kick some major ass."

John laughed, "It sounds like the three of you are doing pretty well without me." John's face turned serious. "I want you to be happy, Dean. If Cas is that for you, then chase after it. Don't do what I did. When I lost your mom, I just forgot what happiness could actually mean. It does bring me happiness to know that you've found someone you love that you're actually willing to spend the rest of your life with. Don't let him go, okay?"

Dean furrowed his eyebrows and nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Well, that was a quick meeting. Something about lions and my shoes. I don't really know I was thinking about lunch. Alright, well sorry to break up this lovely family time, but it's time to go back John." Hermes walked over to where Dean and John were standing.

John and Dean both silently nodded their heads and John followed Hermes. The two disappeared leaving only Dean and Aphrodite in the whiteness.

"See that wasn't difficult at all was it, Dean?" Aphrodite stood up and the bench vanished.

"So, are you gunna send me back to Cas or what?"

"Dean, you do know this wasn't to punish you right?"

"Really? Because instead of just I don't know giving me a message about telling Cas, you put me through three trials to prove my love. Which doesn't make any sense since you're the goddess of love, so wouldn't you know that?"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes, "You are _the_ most difficult person to find a match for. I thought maybe Cassie, maybe Lisa, maybe even Jo, but none were ever going to get you to change your life permanently. Then I found Castiel. He pulled you from Hell. He gave everything up for you. And then I noticed that you kept his trench coat. I decided right then and there that you two were meant together. He was going to be the one to transform you. But then you went and messed everything up by being your macho self and refused our feelings. Castiel never gave up on you, though. He deserved the confirmation that you loved him. And if you could do that, then I could determine whether you really deserve him or not. He's the pride and joy of a goddess of love. The naivety, the longing stares, the constant beckon and call to you, the never ceasing sacrificing himself for you. I had to be positive that your devotion to him was equivalent."

Dean's eyes looked around. He realized it was pretty shitty of him to not be a hundred percent willing to sacrifice for Cas, to be constantly there for Cas.

Aphrodite's eyebrows drew together. "You're not having second thoughts about Castiel are you?"

"No! I just. I now know I need to be more for him. I just want to get back to him, to be there for him. Are you going to bring me to him? I'm kinda desperate to see him now."

"Yes, of course." Aphrodite closed her eyes.

Dean's stomach clenched and he winced in pain one last time.

_A/N: Thank you VioletErin.26 for your lovely reviews, and thank you everyone else for your lovely follows and reading and such J I wrote this at like 2 am so sorry if there's any errors or anything doesn't make much sense. Only one more chapter!_


	9. Motel Moment

"Dean!" Dean felt a warmth surround him. He opened his eyes to see himself sprawled out on the bed, with Cas on top of him. Cas' arms were gently holding Dean's shoulders in a protective manner.

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas' waist and pulled him closer to his chest. "Cas," he breathed into his ear.

"Where have you been?"

"Don't you remember?" Dean's eyes searched Cas'.

Cas returned his gaze with confused eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I need to talk to you, Cas."

"Well, I'm here, Dean."

"Cas, I love you." Dean quickly uttered.

"What? I love you too, Dean. You said we were family, remember?"

"No, I mean…I mean I love you Cas. I want to be with you. Like watching cheesy chick flicks together, kissing in the back of the Impala, and eating casseroles. All of that. I want all of it with you."

Cas was silent for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowed, staring at Dean. He quickly slid his hands behind Dean's head and brought Dean's lips to his. All too happily, Dean returned the kiss. Dean smiled beneath the kiss. _Finally._

"Um, whoa, awkward." Sam pulled the bag he was holding in front of his eyes.

Cas and Dean pulled apart, laughing. "Sammy! Hey, me and Cas are a thing now." The two sat up on the bed, but Dean kept his arm around Cas' shoulder.

"Well, finally. How long did that take? So when's the wedding?" Sam smiled, setting the grocery bag on the motel table.

Dean gave Sam a bitch face.

"I don't think Dean would ever get married. He's not the settling down type." Cas said.

"For you, I'm anything." Dean pecked Cas' cheek.

"Well, I'm going to go get another room. Let you two have this time. I know you've both been waiting a long time for it." Sam left and gently closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone.

"Question, Dean. Where did all this come from?" Cas asked, still sitting next to Dean on the bed.

"I just realized I was being a bit clueless, or stubborn, something. I don't know. I was being a jackass." Dean laced his fingers through Cas'. "What about you? So, you've had feelings for me and you've never said anything?"

"Dean, all of this is new to me. I knew I had a deeper bond with you than any other human, but I wasn't sure what it was. When I saw you and Lisa together, I realized I wanted that. With you. I just knew I could never have it. I buried my feelings. Hunting things, that's what we do. But I can't tell you how ecstatic I am you return the sentiment. I've been waiting for this a while." Cas smiled at Dean.

"So, you really do love me?" Dean's expression turned serious, fearing rejection.

"Yes, Dean. Why would I have stayed here so long, if I didn't? You think I like dirty motels and disgusting, cheap food?"

Dean laughed.

"Well, maybe we'll have to find a house. And maybe you'll have to learn how to cook. Maybe we both will. But for now, we have a lot of catching up to do." Dean laid back on the bed and pulled Cas down with him.

Dean rolled over on top of Cas. He set his hands, forcefully on either side of Cas, trapping him. Cas set his hands on the sides of Dean's hips, sitting still under Dean. All Cas had as reference was a few dirty videos and watching a few other people interact.

Dean let his hips rest on top of Cas'. His lips gently connected with Cas. Dean seductively licked his lips, pleading with Cas to open up. Understandingly, Cas opened up, letting Dean glide his tongue in. The two moved in sync, backs and hips rolling in relation to the other's. Ferocity fueling their pleasure. Pulling, tugging each other closer. Begging for the touch of the other. Their deep kissing, unparalleled to anything the other had experienced. Heat exuding from their bodies from the intensity of their fervent make out session. The years of denying and ignoring feelings, pouring out only inciting more eagerness. Teeth clanked, tongues mixed, hair tugged in a fanatical passionate moment.

Exhausted from their intense session, Dean finally rolled over onto his back next to Cas. Huffing, Cas reached his hand over to Dean's and held it in his. Dean smiled, staring at the popcorn ceiling of the cheap motel. This is exactly what he wanted.

"Cas, will you sleep with me tonight?"

"Uh, Dean, I know you're a very promiscuous person, but I'm not entirely sure I'm as ready for that as you are."

"No, you dope. I mean eyes closed, no consciousness sleep."

"I…I can try." He fluffed the pillow beneath him, preparing himself for slumber. Something he hadn't experienced before. He closed his eyes and set his head back on the pillow.

After a few seconds, he broke the silence in the room, "I don't think this is working, Dean."

Dean sighed. "Here." He rolled over on to his side and pulled Cas to his chest. He draped his arm around his waist and nuzzled his nose into Cas' neck. Cas stiffened under his hold.

Feeling sleep come over him, Dean wound his leg through Cas'. Cas melted into Dean and nestled into Dean. He hugged onto Dean's arm and closed his eyes. Soon, his breath had slowed and he was in a dream state. Dean gently brought his head up and looked at Cas. The gentleness in his face Dean had recognized before was ever so present in his Cas' face. Dean smiled. Finally content, he fell asleep next to Cas.

"DEAN!" Dean sat straight up at the sound of panic in Cas' voice.

"What?" He turned to see a large bump covering Cas' exposed stomach. It started moving. "What the hell?"

"I don't know what it is." Cas' eyebrows were brought together in a concerned manner.

Dean reached out to touch the skin that seemed to be like rolling waves. The thing inside Cas reacted. A small slit opened in his skin. Cas' face turned flush. A small hand popped out. Dean reached over and gently pulled it out. The baby shriek came out of its small mouth and then it started bawling. Dean gently held it in his arms while searching for a towel to cover it. He wrapped it up and returned to Cas. The opening on Cas stomach slowly disappeared and he returned to normal.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean's mouth was open in horror.

"I…I don't know." Cas rubbed his stomach and slowly pulled his shirt back down. He stood up to walk over to Dean and the fidgeting figure in his arms. Dean saw movement in the mirror above the dresser in the motel room. He looked directly at it and saw Aphrodite smiling with an older looking woman next to her. He turned to look behind him and then back at the mirror. The only people in the room were him, Cas and the baby.

"Dean, I think this is our baby." Cas gently rubbed the little hair that she had. "But we didn't-"

"It was Hera." Dean looked down at the baby cooing at him.

"Hera?" Cas smiled down at the baby girl.

"Hera, the goddess of fertility. I'll explain later. What should we name her?"

"Sophie Mary Winchester." Cas grabbed her from Dean's arms and rocked her back and forth. Dean wrapped his arm around Cas and they both stood and stared at their new daughter.

_A/N: Sorry the end got a bit weird haha I had no idea how else to write it? _


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